A photo, an ad and the overview effect

What's the last thing you'd love to see before you permanently close your eyes?

For Voyager 1, it was a series of photos but the most iconic and undoubtedly the most significant one was this photo below.

That small dot is our planet and this photo has been since called the "Pale Blue Dot" and is one of the most searched and coveted photographs in our spacial history. 

This was the dream shot of Carl Sagan who was an advisor for Nasa at that time. He had to pitch this idea several times since the Voyager left earth and he was always denied since the photo would have no real scientific value or relevance. Thankfully - this wasn't done for any scientific pursuit but for a more emotional one.

The Earth images were taken at 04:48 GMT on Feb. 14, 1990, just 34 minutes before Voyager 1 powered off its cameras forever. What a beautiful and unforgettable Valentíne's day shot the Voyager 1 had provided for mankind.

But the image officially was received by the Nasa team on May 1, 1990.

According to Nasa.com, they had to warm the camera for hours before taking a series of photos that were to be captured before completely shutting down the camera in order to save battery for its future voyage into the Milky Way. 


It literally was the last thing that the spacecraft saw before closing it's eyes permanently.


On August 12, 2020, the Voyager 1 had entered interstellar space and is now the most distant man made object ever.


While this photo is a powerful imagery of our fragility, our vurnelability and our insignificance in the cosmic ocean - there was an ad that had a brilliant take of this photo that moved me emotionally like nothing else before.

When I first saw this ad, I had goosebumps all over my body.

I have even now and every time I watch it.

And I yet get teary eyed and have that awkward lump in my throat that takes me to just a word away from crying. 




The film won multiple awards and as you'll see from the top right icon on the video - the Cannes too.

The ad is for Clark Street Bridge School of Writing and was started as a in-house workshop by the creative director John Claxton who also wrote and narrated the story in the film.

He is a self-described "outer space freak" which explains how he managed to pen this story with so much passion and finding a wonderful life insight.

The brief, was to take a moment that was experienced by all and relate it to a moment that everyone can relate to.

The analogy is a fitting description of the driving principle of the Clark Street Bridge School of Writing


Claxton had quoted: "The process of distilling the experience of life on earth into a singular expression of a single person, is not unlike the process of writing"


The experience was the photo of the earth, the mundane moment was a kid going to school.


It's a brilliant film and no words could do justice to the overflow of emotions it can trigger.


By far, according to me, one of the finest pieces of writing, insight, and ad.

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